Diabetic Food Pyramid and Diet Plan

The food you eat has a direct impact on your blood glucose levels, body fat, and overall health. That is why it is so important for diabetics to eat according to the best diabetes diet plan possible. As a diabetic you have special diet needs, and you need to pay special attention to what you put into your body.

Food is a subject of great debate and controversy, with lots of monetary interests at stake. Unfortunately, these interests have a dramatic influence on our health and foods we eat. One such example is the food pyramid. We all know the pyramid picture that represents how much of which food groups we should be eating for optimum health.

The problem is the existing USDA food pyramid recommendations as well as most other diabetic food pyramids that exists is that they are misguided.

We’ve been eating this way for the last few decades and the results are truly disastrous. Changing those recommendations on the official level is not easy, as the various interest groups of food producers will surely lobby against it. That is why it is imperative for each individual to get educated and adopt the new food pyramid for best possible health. This applies to all of us, and especially to people who already suffer from chronic disease, such as diabetes.

The healthy food pyramid emphasizes the healthiest foods: fresh vegetables, greens and fruits.

USDA Food Pyramid and Diabetic Food Pyramid

Whole grains are an important food group, however, most grains that we eat today are not healthy! The USDA food pyramid and the recommended daily allowances still mostly ignore the difference between whole and refined plant foods. White breads, pastas, processed cereals are not ideal food choices, especially for people who already experience health problems, such as high blood sugar. Additionally, wheat causes allergies that can go undetected, so for many people eliminating wheat altogether may be a good solution. These foods should be eliminated, and replaced with whole grains, such as whole wheat, whole grain cereals, barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc.

The consumption of animal protein products should be limited. Some experts recommend going even further and eliminating them altogether, but of course, going vegetarian may not be for everyone. Buying organic meats, that is hormone free and antibiotic free is important. Ideally, a vegetarian diet is best, but even reducing animal protein to 2-3 times a week is going to produce good results for your health.

The next important group that is under-valued is fruits. People are afraid that eating too much fruits will cause blood sugar problems, but this fear is totally ungrounded. Fresh fruits eaten raw – not processed – are some of the healthiest foods for humans. Even people with diabetes should not be afraid to eat fruits, provided their diet is also LOW IN FAT. Too much fat causes problems with glucose absorption into the cells.